Volunteers give day of service

Volunteers help out by painting a mural at the event. (Photo courtesy of Gary Kehoe)

By Gary KehoeCorrespondent

Braving the cold, a quickly-formed community of over 200 volunteers — 50 representing the College — commemorated the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. early Monday morning. The TCNJ Bonner Foundation, along with Jersey Cares and the Corporation of National Community Service, visited Trenton Central High School for a special day of service.

The Bonner Program continued its active role in the community by painting murals around Trenton Central, a deserving member of the Trenton Abbott District.

“The Bonner program has ‘adopted’ Trenton Central and a nearby K-8 school. We help on a regular basis and events are open to all,” said Paula Figueroa-Vega, associate director of the Bonner Center.

Much of the morning’s ceremonies were a service of their own, as reverends dear to the community, notably Reverend Toby Sanders, joined mayor Tony F. Mack and Central’s principal Marc Maurice in welcoming volunteers with their own expression of the day’s meaning.

“If you see a turtle up in a tree, rest assured somebody put it there,” said Mack, highlighting the necessity for a unified vision of improvement.

Sanders urged the volunteers to remember the symbolism of their actions. “Recognize the power of the spirit of what you do, the substance,” Sanders said. “It is not some shallow symbolism, but a deep one.”
Answering this same calling for good which summoned and ultimately re-claimed Dr. King, the volunteers this Monday morning showed Trenton Central and the state of New Jersey the substance of their citizenship.